Centuries of tradition: Macomb's Westview Orchards marks bicentennial

By MARYANNE KOCIS MACLEOD

Friday, June 28, 2013

Few of us truly know how our ancestors were living their lives 200 years ago.

But sisters Abby Jacobson and Katrina Schumacher, co-owners of Westview Orchards in Washington Township, understand firsthand the joys and challenges of the agricultural lifestyle established by their great-great-grandfather Michael Bowerman in 1813.

Bowerman came to Michigan from New York state, fresh from his service in the War of 1812, with a pocketful of peach pits and dreams of building an orchard.

And that is exactly what he did.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, members of the general public are invited to share in the family's historic 200-year-old tradition with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and Congresswoman Candice Miller as Westview presents "A bicentennial celebration of Macomb's oldest family farm."

"In celebrating this day with local folk and the governor, we are able to bring attention to the tenacity and determination of our forefathers," Schumacher said. "Every generation has made changes to keep the farm going and stay current for our customers. Today is an opportunity to show our appreciation for their loyalty."

The day includes something for everyone, from children's activities and tours to historic and agricultural workshops for the family.

"I see young families looking for roots," Schumacher said. "So many are yearning to get back in touch with nature and tradition. I think they've kind of adopted our family as their family."

In sharing her story, Schumacher is still unsure whether Michael Bowerman was compensated for his war service with land, or the money to buy it. But she does know his journey started in 1812 near Joseph Campau in Detroit.

The swampy conditions and mosquitoes "encouraged" him to abandon the original homestead, travel northwest past "five lakes," arriving outside the village of Romeo, then known as "Indian Village."

Bowerman cleared the land and used the timber to build a log home, whose specific location is unknown. "But there are remnants from that time in the hand-hewn beams that comprised the original, 1850 barn, now the Cider Mill," Schumacher said. "We can see the marks from the saw mill; the beams are huge and very solid.

In addition to a peach orchard, Westview also operated as a general farm, growing general crops and keeping cows, sheep and chickens.

Modern changes began rolling in with Westview's third-generation owners Harvey, Abby and Katrina's grandfather.

"My grandfather, born in 1880, graduated from high school, took business classes and was working at a train station company in Detroit when his father, Byron, asked him to come back to the farm in 1911," Schumacher explained. "He brought his wife, Linda, who was a city girl from Cincinnati, his first son, Armand, the twins, including my mother Katherine and her brother Russel, back to the country in 1913.

Harvey upgraded the original barn, and added a beef cow and dairy operation.

He is credited with starting the orchard's first farm stand, somewhat by accident in the 1930s.

In those days, Macomb County was covered with hundreds of acres of peach orchards and the practice was to pack up the truck each morning and head down to Eastern Market to sell the produce.

"Turns out it was a very good year for peaches and they called my grandfather one day to say 'stay home' the market is flooded," Schumacher recalled. "My grandfather already had the truck filled with peaches. He turned it around and started selling them right there by the side of the road."

Fortune was with the family: their corner was a stop on the Detroit Urban Railroad. As rural folk headed down to Detroit each morning to work, they would stop at the Westview farm stand for peaches.

"Not much has been done to the market building since then -- except paint it and keep painting it," Schumacher said.

In the 1940s, Harvey's son Armand made improvements of his own: connecting with Macomb MSU Extension and converting the farm from horse power to tractor.

In 1980, integrated pest management was introduced using computer technology to treat and monitor pests.

Armand's dream of state-of-the-art, controlled atmosphere storage was introduced in 1984, three years after his death. The secured, sealed system removes 97 percent of the oxygen from the air, infusing the room with nitrogen, which puts the apples "to sleep," keeping the apples crisp and hard all winter long.

"Agritourism" strategies were effectively introduced in 1994, when Abby and Katrina developed workshops and farm and cider mill tours for school groups. A commercial kitchen was introduced to begin baking doughnuts to go with the cider.

In 2008, a partnership with MSU Extension brought an environmental weather station to the farm, benefiting growers around the state.

And if all goes as planned, Abby and Katrina will open Westview's first official wine-tasting room this fall, featuring Michigan grape wines and "our own fruit wines."

Guests will climb a picturesque silo spiral staircase, drink in pictures of old farm equipment and recycled red barn wood, along with three or four selected wine samples, all for just $6, then take home a wine glass to mark their experience.

"Michigan wine is a huge and growing industry in our state," Schumacher said. "As is the history and celebration of agriculture. With the world's population doubling in the next 20 years, it's up to our American agricultural scientists, the boys and girls of today, to figure out how to keep feeding the world.

"To me it is good news agricultural is growing," Schumacher added, "And we want to be up for the challenge."